TRWSB – Chapter 89 Ex-Wife VS. Little Sister

“Oh, isn’t this Miss Yi? Yi Chuxue, I didn’t expect you to show up here. I thought you wouldn’t have the heart to attend this auction. Where are your two brothers? Still bedridden, I assume? Tsk tsk, what a pity—such talented individuals reduced to nothing. They’ve become so useless they might not even be able to beat Yi Fan in the future,” Qi Shaoru remarked with a mocking smile.

Yi Chuxue frowned and replied coldly, “None of your business.”

“How can it not be my business?” Qi Shaoru said indignantly. “Our Qi family and your Yi family have been close for generations. It’s only natural for me to show concern when something happens to your brothers.”

Yi Chuxue glared at Qi Shaoru. “Move aside.”

“Miss Yi, your temper’s getting worse and worse!” Qi Shaoru suddenly snatched the invitation from Yi Chuxue’s hand. “I can’t believe it! You’ve fallen so low, yet you still managed to get an invitation to the auction. Don’t tell me you stole it.”

“Qi Shaoru, shut up!” Yi Chuxue snapped, growing flustered.

“Oh, so it’s just a regular invitation. I see,” Qi Shaoru said with a sneer.

The auction invitations were divided into VIP and regular categories. In the past, Yi Chuxue always received VIP invitations. However, times had changed, and the regular invitation in her hand had been purchased with gold coins.

Looking at Yi Chuxue disdainfully, Qi Shaoru said, “Miss Yi, the regular seats are filled with coarse mercenaries and impoverished nobles—so uncultured. If you don’t mind, you could come to the Qi family’s private box. It’s not very large, but it could accommodate you.”

Yi Chuxue snatched the invitation back, her face flushing with anger. “None of your concern!”

Zhuang Hao noticed Qi Shaorong’s sparkling eyes and frowned. “What are you looking at?”

Qi Shaorong chuckled. “Yi Chuxue and Qi Shaoru are downstairs, and it looks like they’re arguing.”

Zhuang Hao rolled his eyes. “What’s so interesting about that?”

“How could it not be? Girls fighting is always entertaining,” Qi Shaorong said with enthusiasm.

Zhuang Hao shook his head. “I don’t see the appeal.”

Qi Shaorong glanced at him with mild contempt. “You’re no fun! Speaking of which, both of them are your confidantes. Aren’t you interested in going down to mediate?”

Zhuang Hao’s face darkened. “Don’t talk nonsense. I have nothing to do with either of them.”

“If they heard you say that, those two girls would probably be heartbroken,” Qi Shaorong teased.

Meanwhile, Shen Yuan, sipping his tea, began to grow restless. Scratching his head, he regretted accepting Qi Shaorong’s invitation to join Zhuang Hao’s private box.

“Huh, that girl’s here too,” Qi Shaorong remarked with some surprise.

“Which girl?” Zhuang Hao asked.

“Mu Xuelan.”

Zhuang Hao raised an eyebrow. “Mu Xuelan? Since when were you interested in her?”

Qi Shaorong shrugged. Mu Xuelan was Yi Fan’s ex-wife and a capable assistant. Naturally, he should show some concern. “She’s one of the three great beauties of the capital. I’m generally interested in beautiful women.”

“That woman’s notoriously improper. She was married to Yi Fan and still carried on with the second prince. She’s not worth your attention. Stay away from her,” Zhuang Hao warned sternly.

Qi Shaorong: “…” Zhuang Hao, what kind of person do you think I am?

“Aren’t you supposed to be good at telling if someone is pure or not? What about Mu Xuelan? Is she pure?” Qi Shaorong asked with a smirk.

Zhuang Hao snorted and looked away.

“Of course she’s pure and innocent. Don’t slander her or you’ll face karma,” Qi Shaorong said righteously.

Zhuang Hao: “…”

Qi Shaorong stroked his chin thoughtfully. Yi Fan once said that Mu Xuelan was proud but virtuous.

“Huh, interesting,” Qi Shaorong said, a brilliant smile lighting up his face.

“What’s interesting?” Zhuang Hao asked, following Qi Shaorong’s gaze.

Zhuang Hao looked down at the regular seating area. Mu Xuelan and Yi Chuxue were seated next to each other.

“Ah, now this is even more interesting,” Qi Shaorong said, his eyes fixed on the people sitting behind Mu Xuelan and Yi Chuxue.

Yi Fan, disguised as Qian Mian, was seated directly behind the two women. Neither his ex-wife nor his sister recognized him in his current guise.

“That’s Qian Mian. Should we call him up?” Zhuang Hao asked.

Qi Shaorong shook his head. “No need. Let him stay down there.”

A maid walked into the room and said, “Young Master Zhuang, greetings. I am Xiao Yun, a maid from the auction house. Is there anything you or your guests need?”

“Yes, there is!” Qi Shaorong replied.

Xiao Yun turned toward Qi Shaorong and asked respectfully, “What do you require, sir?”

Pointing at the empty fruit platter, Qi Shaorong said, “This fruit platter is complimentary, right?”

Xiao Yun nodded. “Yes, it is.”

“Can it be refilled?”

“Yes, of course,” Xiao Yun replied.

“Then bring us a hundred servings,” Qi Shaorong said casually.

Xiao Yun’s eyes widened in surprise. “A hundred servings?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Qi Shaorong confirmed.

Xiao Yun: “…”

Qi Shaorong looked at her and asked, “Is there a problem?”

“No problem at all,” Xiao Yun said before leaving.

Qi Shaorong then released his Radiant Unicorn and grumbled, “You greedy pig, you’re going to eat me into poverty, do you know that? Well, here you go—eat all you want. It’s free.”

Watching this, Shen Yuan couldn’t help but comment, “Qi Shao, didn’t you make a fortune during the last competition? How are you still struggling to afford your unicorn?”

“What fortune? That bit of gold is barely enough to cover small expenses. You’ve got to save wherever you can!” Qi Shaorong said dismissively.

Shen Yuan found Qi Shaorong’s frugal demeanor absurdly comical.

Yi Chuxue and Mu Xuelan glared at each other with mutual disdain. Yi Chuxue had always looked down on Mu Xuelan. But with the Yi family’s recent troubles, her arrogance had significantly diminished.

“Little Sister Chuxue, how are your two brothers doing?” Mu Xuelan asked.

Still upset after being mocked by Qi Shaoru earlier, Yi Chuxue exploded at Mu Xuelan’s inquiry. “What does it have to do with you? You’re no longer part of the Yi family after divorcing that useless Yi Fan. How pathetic! The second prince doesn’t want you, and even my worthless third brother looks down on you!”

Anger flashed in Mu Xuelan’s eyes. “Your temper is getting worse, Little Sister Chuxue. I just saw Qi Fourth Young Master enter Zhuang Hao’s private box earlier. It seems they’re quite close.”

“How pitiful for you, Little Sister Chuxue. You traveled all that way to break off your engagement, only for Qi Shaorong and Zhuang Hao to end up together anyway. Speaking of which, Qi Fourth Young Master is quite talented. He and Young Master Zhuang Hao make a perfect pair, don’t you think?”

“Shut up!” Yi Chuxue snapped at Mu Xuelan.

Ever since marrying Yi Fan, Mu Xuelan had endured endless humiliation from Yi Chuxue. Now, she couldn’t hold back anymore. “Little Sister Chuxue, Zhuang Hao is still compassionate toward women. Shen Yuan was beaten up, but you were left unscathed.”

“You slut! The second prince doesn’t want you, and now you’re clinging to that worthless fool. But even he doesn’t want you anymore,” Yi Chuxue retorted angrily.

Mu Xuelan sneered coldly. “Miss Yi, your brothers are bedridden, yet you still have the leisure to attend this auction. How carefree of you!”

Behind the two women, Yi Fan, now disguised as Qian Mian, sat with his eyes closed, letting them argue without interference.

“The auction has started,” Shen Yuan said.

“Finally,” Qi Shaorong said, resting his chin in his hand with excitement.

“Thank you, distinguished guests, for joining us today,” the female auctioneer announced. “This auction features many rare and valuable items that are sure to satisfy you all. Let’s begin without further ado. The first item is the crystal core of a Level Nine Frost Rock Python.”

The auctioneer continued, “This Level Nine crystal core is ideal for crafting ice-element staffs, which, as you can imagine, possess tremendous power.”

Qi Shaorong raised his brows. “It seems you weren’t lying. This auction house is indeed extraordinary.”

A Level Nine crystal core was no trivial matter. Even the headmaster, a Level Nine expert himself, might struggle to defeat a Frost Rock Python. Yet, this auction house had acquired such a rare item for sale.

Qi Shaorong squinted at Zhuang Hao. “What’s the auctioneer’s cultivation level?”

“Level Eight,” Zhuang Hao replied.

Qi Shaorong rested his chin on his hand and marveled, “The capital is truly full of hidden talents.”

The starting bid for the crystal core was one million gold coins, and it quickly rose to over six million.

“There’s no shortage of wealthy people here,” Qi Shaorong remarked.

“This time, many powerful groups from outside the region have joined. The competition is naturally intense. There are still several more Level Nine experts present,” Shen Yuan added.

Qi Shaorong squinted thoughtfully. The kingdom’s monarchy was supreme, but numerous affluent families and regional powers still existed, amassing wealth while avoiding the spotlight.

The crystal core was ultimately sold to a Level Nine mage for 8.2 million gold coins.

Qi Shaorong furrowed his brows and thought to himself, I need to make more money!

Meanwhile, in the regular seating area, Yi Chuxue and Mu Xuelan had stopped their quarrel.

The fierce bidding war for the Level Nine crystal core left Yi Chuxue feeling uneasy. She had snuck into the auction, selling off most of her personal jewelry and treasures to raise funds. Even so, she only had about 60,000 gold coins at her disposal.

The second auction item was a piece of Fire Glaze, extracted from the deep sea. It was said to have belonged to the royal family of the Sea Clan before being stolen by a traitor. The Fire Glaze contained a dense source of fire energy, highly beneficial for fire-based warriors and mages alike.

Though the competition for the Fire Glaze wasn’t as intense as for the crystal core, it still sold for a hefty 2 million gold coins.